A settlement has been reached in one of the largest lawsuits filed under the 1965 Voting Rights Act over providing Spanish-language ballots and assistance to Puerto Rican voters in 32 Florida counties.
The settlement provides for Spanish language ballots, election material, hotlines, options on websites, assistance at polls, and signs at election supervisors’ offices.
“We’re very pleased with what the settlement provides and it’s in line with the Voting Rights Act,” said Kira Romero-Craft, an attorney with Latino Justice PRLDF, that was involved in the suit.
The Rivera v. Barton lawsuit filed in 2018 by racial and voter justice organizations argued that election officials had not complied with the Voting Rights Act when they didn't provide ballots and information in Spanish to Spanish-speaking voters who had recently moved to Florida from Puerto Rico.